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Z 2135.6 L811g
Spring 1993
c.l
OKLAHOMA
LOCAL GOVERNMENT NEWS
PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY THE CENTER FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY, SPONSORED JOINTLY BY THE
FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, THE OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND THE OKLAHOMA COMMISSION ON COUNTY
GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL, EDUCATION AND TRAINING.
308 CITD
Stillwater, OK
74078
405-744-6049
Spring 1993
edited by Douglas Wright
TEN COMMANDMENTS OF A GOOD ROAD
Here are ten basic tips to help maintain and keep your roads in good condition.
I. Get water away from the road
Drainage cannot be overemphasized in road construction
and maintenance. Water affects the entire serviceability
of a road. Too much water in the base material weakens
the road. Water allowed to remain on top of a gravel or
blacktopped road weakens the surface, and, combined
with traffic, causes potholes and cracking. If improperly
channeled, water causes soil erosion and a breakdown of
pavement edges. Whether it is mud in the spring or frost
heaves in the winter, the presence of water in roads is
nothing but trouble.
A good surface drainage system is the best way to lessen
water damage on a road. Proper surface drainage
prevents water from infiltrating the pavement surface
and removes water from driving lanes in a constant thin
sheet to the side ditches, which carry the water away
from the roadway. A surface drainage system has four
main components: road crown, shoulders, ditches and
culverts.
The road crown, or super-elevation of the road surface,
allows water to run off to the side ditches.
Shoulders are an extension of the road surface and allow
for the continued flow of water to the ditches.
Ditches are used to carry water away from the roadway.
They need to be kept clean and protected from erosion.
Water left in the ditch can sometimes leak back into the
base.
Water collected and carried in the ditch has to be directed
away from the roadway at frequent intervals, sometimes
using culvert pipe.
Culverts usually channel water from one side of the road
to the other, helping to control the flow of water and
slowing it down to reduce erosion.
Road managers are guided by the principles that water
runs downhill, that water needs outlets at the bottom of
all grades and that puddles mean problems. Except for
some water needed for soil compaction, dust control and
vegetation, water is the roadway manager's worst enemy.
II. Build on a firm foundation
A highway wears out from the top, but it falls apart from
the bottom. This is another way of saying that the road
base determines the service-life of a road. The base
supports everything above it, including traffic.
Without adequate support, the road will deteriorate
rapidly. A good road requires a suitable foundation
composed of stable material. A road material is stable if
(continued on page 2)

This Oklahoma state government publication is provided for educational purposes under U.S. copyright law. Other usage requires permission of copyright holders.

Full text

Z 2135.6 L811g
Spring 1993
c.l
OKLAHOMA
LOCAL GOVERNMENT NEWS
PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY THE CENTER FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY, SPONSORED JOINTLY BY THE
FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, THE OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND THE OKLAHOMA COMMISSION ON COUNTY
GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL, EDUCATION AND TRAINING.
308 CITD
Stillwater, OK
74078
405-744-6049
Spring 1993
edited by Douglas Wright
TEN COMMANDMENTS OF A GOOD ROAD
Here are ten basic tips to help maintain and keep your roads in good condition.
I. Get water away from the road
Drainage cannot be overemphasized in road construction
and maintenance. Water affects the entire serviceability
of a road. Too much water in the base material weakens
the road. Water allowed to remain on top of a gravel or
blacktopped road weakens the surface, and, combined
with traffic, causes potholes and cracking. If improperly
channeled, water causes soil erosion and a breakdown of
pavement edges. Whether it is mud in the spring or frost
heaves in the winter, the presence of water in roads is
nothing but trouble.
A good surface drainage system is the best way to lessen
water damage on a road. Proper surface drainage
prevents water from infiltrating the pavement surface
and removes water from driving lanes in a constant thin
sheet to the side ditches, which carry the water away
from the roadway. A surface drainage system has four
main components: road crown, shoulders, ditches and
culverts.
The road crown, or super-elevation of the road surface,
allows water to run off to the side ditches.
Shoulders are an extension of the road surface and allow
for the continued flow of water to the ditches.
Ditches are used to carry water away from the roadway.
They need to be kept clean and protected from erosion.
Water left in the ditch can sometimes leak back into the
base.
Water collected and carried in the ditch has to be directed
away from the roadway at frequent intervals, sometimes
using culvert pipe.
Culverts usually channel water from one side of the road
to the other, helping to control the flow of water and
slowing it down to reduce erosion.
Road managers are guided by the principles that water
runs downhill, that water needs outlets at the bottom of
all grades and that puddles mean problems. Except for
some water needed for soil compaction, dust control and
vegetation, water is the roadway manager's worst enemy.
II. Build on a firm foundation
A highway wears out from the top, but it falls apart from
the bottom. This is another way of saying that the road
base determines the service-life of a road. The base
supports everything above it, including traffic.
Without adequate support, the road will deteriorate
rapidly. A good road requires a suitable foundation
composed of stable material. A road material is stable if
(continued on page 2)